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Heat are ice cold towards season’s end

Originally posted on thePeachBasket | By Eric Labrador | Last updated Apr 9, 2026 11:45 PM ET

The Heat are ice cold. They are ice cold in competing against good teams and possibly need a “reset.” They are 41-39 and sadly can’t avoid the play-in tournament. Milwaukee has 31 wins and is the eleventh seed. The Heat can’t self-impose a ban (as most fans may want) and not go to the playoffs. Toronto ran the Heaters out of Scotiabank Arena the last two days.

Two-game series

Toronto has constantly outplayed Miami in Toronto. This season though, they completed a four-game sweep of the Heat. In the final two games in Toronto, they outscored Miami 249-209. Whether the Magic or the Raptors, the Heat have been dominated by physical teams with length. They out rebounded Miami 107-85. They outplayed the Heat and will move on to the playoffs. They will play Cleveland in the first round.

The Heat were dominated in the first game on Tuesday. Erik Spoelstra said that the Heat “were embarrassed” and would respond. Tonight they responded but then the Raptors Brandon Miller beat up the Heat defense and kept the Raptors in the lead.

Heat organization is at a crossroads

Whether between Pat Riley and Nick Arison or different offensive trends in the NBA, the Heat organization is at a crossroads. The Heat got Davion Mitchell last season because they had trouble defending “the point of attack” by guards. Their defensive philosophy has always centered around protecting the rim and they have allowed a lot of three-point baskets (now more than ever.)

The Heat perfected “small-ball” and moved the NBA away from post-dominant offenses but are now getting dominated on the glass. Imman Adan wrote in 2021 on Basketballnews.com that “length matters” citing the Cleveland big men, Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley or Anthony Davis. The Raptors length creates problems for the Heat as many teams have done to beat Miami.

Next games

The Heat play at Washington on Friday and then close out the regular season home against Atlanta. On March 6, the Heat won at Charlotte and won the season series against the Hornets. They were in the middle of a winning streak and everything looked grand.

Charlotte went 12-4 after the loss and the season series win was not a factor. The two teams played again on March 17 in Charlotte and the Hornets beat them by 30. The Charlotte team is competitive and play a competitive style of basketball. The Heat will have a tall order to beat them.

This article first appeared on thePeachBasket and was syndicated with permission.

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